How the financial crisis ruins schools accross the country

The recession hitting the US is not exempting anyone, especially not the ones that have little or no lobby. Or little or no resources to fall back to, for that matter. This Saturday I attended a school community crisis meeting, desperately trying to figure out a viable financial plan moving forward, getting to the end of the school year with the kids that are enrolled and in parallel unifying parents, teachers and the board of the school. Whether that is going to be successful, only time will tell.

Looking beyond the small circle of our school, I can't help but think we cannot be alone. There must be literally hundreds of schools accross the United States that feel the economic crisis through enrollment numbers going down, financial support drying up and families experiencing financial hardship on every level.

We are part of a school that is more of an experiment than most other Waldorf schools. 'Affordable' is something that I would have never associated with the label 'Waldorf' not long ago. Shining Star Waldorf in NE Portland tries to do just that. An affordable tuition, typically half of what other Waldorf schools charge, a school situated in an anything but glitzy neighborhood with a number of students on financial aid. An all inclusive school. In other words: A recipe for disaster.

I am only halfway kidding here. This boat was taking in water from the beginning, but since the rain has started to pour, the boat is sinking slowly, but steadily. To address this crisis, a coalition of parents has tried to move forward with changes. Unfortunately, only little can be done on the income side of things during the school year and a lot has to be done on the expense side.

VC funded companies in the valley have cut expenses back using the good old lawnmower method, surely not applicable for a school. Where is the white knight when you need him?